Alabama may not have a head coach, but that didn't seem to matter on Tuesday.
Alabama played its first game since head coach Anthony Grant was fired on Sunday and the Crimson Tide responded in impressive fashion. Led by interim head coach John Brannen, the sixth-seeded Crimson Tide jumped all over No. 3 Illinois en route to a 79-58 victory.
Alabama got off to a great start, scoring 46 first-half points and building a 24-point halftime lead. While Illinois played much better in the second half, it did little to threaten the Crimson Tide. Alabama shot lights out, making 59.6 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three. Levi Randolph led the way with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Illinois took a 4-3 lead less than two minutes into the game, but that proved to be its last lead of the game. Alabama ran off a 20-0 run and never looked back.
Alabama will now move on to face No. 2 Miami which also won on Tuesday. The Hurricanes' path to the second round wasn't as easy as they needed to hold off a second-half rally to advance 75-71 past North Carolina Central. Jordan Parks scored 25 points for N.C. Central, but Miami was ice from the free throw line during the final minutes to survive.
Here is a complete look at the Tuesday's action in the NIT. Click here for a updated look at the bracket.
No. 3 Rhode Island 88, No. 6 Iona 75
No. 2 Miami (FL) 75, No. 7 North Carolina Central 71
No. 5 George Washington 60, No. 4 Pittsburgh 54
No. 3 Louisiana Tech 89, No. 6 Central Michigan 79
No. 2 Tulsa 70, No. 7 William & Mary 67
No. 6 Alabama 79, No. 3 Illinois 58
No. 3 Murray State 81, No. 6 UTEP 66
No. 2 Texas A&M 81, No. 7 Montana 64
No. 2 Stanford 77, No. 7 UC Davis 64
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